This blog is written by a 20-something living and working in NYC. You'll find lots of content related to social media, television and entertainment, life as a 20-something, rants, and general nonsense. Happy reading!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

The Winner's Circle: Twitter's Top 5 #Winning Celebs

We all know that Charlie Sheen has been #winning the social media universe lately (If you didn’t know, you’ve been living under a rock and I’ve been giving you too much credit). Some people can go on and on about Charlie’s seemingly genius branding techniques while others question the effect that his antics will have on his career. Charlie may be #winning now, but with #tigerblood and all, the chances of his vicious attitude and nonsensical phrases giving his career any sort of longevity are slim to none. Move over Charlie, you’ve had your 15 minutes! It’s time to pay tribute to those celebrities on Twitter who know what real #winning is all about.

Justin Bieber
I should probably start this off by saying I am NOT a Bieber fan. Yet thanks to this kid’s unbelievable Twitter presence, even non-beliebers such as myself are susceptible to Bieber Fever. Besides being an active tweeter, Justin Bieber dominates Twitter feeds because of his ability to relate to his audience. Starting out as an “ordinary kid” singing on YouTube, Bieber acts an inspiration to tweens across the globe, sending the message that they too can become superstars. His constant engagement with his followers is further evidence of his relatability, sincerity, and overall likeability. Once he gets his fans talking and topics trending, he can even have an effect on us non-beliebers (as much as we hate to admit it). According to Klout, I’ve seen and commented on Bieber’s trending topics enough times that the Biebs is one of my top influencers (I kid you not).

Kim Kardashian
Thanks to Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Kourtney and Kim Take New York, along with the many other television appearances she’s made, Kim Kardashian is the epitome of transparency. With Kim, what you see is what you get. Why would her Twitter be any different? People listen to her because her tweets are REAL: her tweets about the weather, being tired after she works outs, being stressed from work, her addiction to French fries, etc. are things that “real people” would talk about, making her incredibly relatable on the social web. Through her tweets, Kim is also able to dismiss any rumors before they run wild (and best part is, we actually believe her!). Her tweets and constant engagement with her followers indicate that she is genuinely appreciative of the constant support she receives from her fans. You go, Kim!

Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is famous for her outlandish outfits, quirky (okay, downright wacko) personality, and killer music. All of that is great, but what really impresses me is how she uses her popularity for good. On Twitter, Lady Gaga announced that she designed Japan Prayer Bracelets, the proceeds of which will be put towards Japan relief efforts. With almost 9 million followers, her tweet made a HUGE difference. In just 48 hours, Gaga’s bracelets raised a quarter of million dollars! Now that’s power.

Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest is famous for being a reality television show host turned Red Carpet interviewer turned Radio DJ turned E! Correspondent, among other things. What makes Ryan Seacrest stand out among other celebrities is his incredible networking abilities. He has immersed himself in so many aspects of the entertainment industry that he went from talking about celebrities to actually becoming one! Ryan indicated his top influencers, built his network, and soon became an influence of his influencers! His tweets are heavily focused around what he knows best: entertainment. Thanks to his heavily focused content and strong network, Ryan is a thought leader in the entertainment industry (and someone whose tweets I follow every day!).

Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres’ tweets are highly engaging and entertaining. Much of her engagement on Twitter is due to the fact that she incorporates multimedia into the majority of her tweets. It seems that Twitter users are often intrigued by pictures and videos and are more likely to share these tweets with their followers. These tweets are especially interesting to fans of Ellen’s show, as many of these pictures and videos feature scenes from her show or behind the scenes footage. In addition, Ellen always makes sure to mention guests that were on her show in her Tweets. This is a great cross-promotional tactic: she promotes her guests on Twitter in the hopes that the guest will see it and promote her show in return. This technique also helps Ellen build relationships with her influencers and grow her follower base.